The Longest Days
by MindReader13
Summary: Slight AU. What if Roxas had not run through the Dark City? What if he went straight to confronting Xemnas? This is a take on what would have happened and a bleak triumph over evil. What has changed? What is the same? Is destiny ever left to chance?


THE LONGEST DAYS

A KH Fanfic Presented in 2 Parts

Prologue

The Shattered Worlds

DAY 357 of Roxas' Existence

The darkness swirled around her feeble form as she stumbled out of the shell that she had created, the shell that had been defeated at last. It had been a monstrous form, be she knew there was no other way, no other way to force Roxas to fight her. Now it was done. It was her turn to disappear. She couldn't let that happen to Roxas, there was no way. He was, and always would be, her closest friend. As she fell to her knees she took a quick glance at the boy who was utterly confused. Xion had fallen. Her knees that were the only thing supporting her began to give out. Roxas saw her though, standing only a few feet away, but his head was hurting so much that he could barely think. All he knew was that whoever that girl a short distance away was, he didn't know her. He grasped his head as he stumbled across the Station Plaza in Twilight Town.

"Who are you…again?" Roxas groaned out. To him, it seemed as if the girl in front of him was someone he ought to remember, but couldn't for the life of him. "It's weird…I feel like I'm forgetting something really important."

"You'll be…better off now…Roxas…" Xion gasped out, fatigue consuming her, the power of this replica spent. She fell, her head about to hit the cold stone of the Staton Plaza. Roxas deftly reached forward and caught her before she did. Suddenly, her body began to crystallize and Roxas looked at the girl in horror.

"Am I…the one who did this to you?" Roxas asked, disbelief at the sight in front of him becoming very apparent on his face. However, the girl shook her head and answered him.

"No…" she said wearily, assuaging his fears. "It was my choice, to go away now. Better that, than to do nothing and let Xemnas have his way." Roxas' sight narrowed as he heard the name of his former Superior. But the girl in his arms continued to speak. "I belong with Sora…and now, I am going back to be with him." Sora. There was that name again. The name that represented everything unknown to Roxas. "Roxas, I need you to do me a favor. All those hearts I've captured. Kingdom Hearts, set them free."

"Kingdom Hearts?" Roxas question, not understanding the words from this girl's mouth. "Free them?" Roxas gasped as he saw the girl crystallize further, her legs covering in the crystal film. She gasped in pain.

"It's too late, for me to undo my mistakes. But you can't let Xemnas have Kingdom hearts, you can't." she gasped again. "Goodbye, Roxas. See you again." Her voice was beginning to lose itself and Roxas didn't know why, but, he wanted her to live, even if he didn't know her. "I'm glad…I got to meet you. Oh, and Axel, too, of course." Her hand reached up and touched Roxas' confused face. "Never forget. That's the truth." Roxas continued to stare at her in a daze as she closed her eyes. Then his eyes widened and he remembered.

"Xion!" He yelled, grasping her hand as it fell. "Who else will I have ice cream with?" But Xion didn't answer, her lips silent as her body finished its crystallization and faded away, leaving behind but one Thalassa Seashell. "Xion…" Roxas breathed out as a tear slipped down his face. He grabbed the seashell off the ground and clenched his fist around it. Xemnas. It was all his fault. He was the one who would pay.

-KH-

In his own quarters in the Castle That Never Was, Axel lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Roxas was gone. He had let him leave. How could he not? After all the Organization had done to him? Keeping the truth from him, toying with him. Axel sighed. The orders would come soon, probably straight from Xemnas, even if through Saix. Saix…how he cursed the boy that was once his best friend.

"How did this happen?" Why did it happen? Axel sat up. Lying around wasn't going to help. He just wanted the simpler times to come back. Him, Roxas, and…and…he knew there was somebody else, so why couldn't her remember her? Axel looked to the eternally night sky, and at Kingdom Hearts. It was nearing midnight, the start of a new day. Something caught Axel's attention: a letter. Axel stood up and grabbed the letter. He looked it over before opening it. Ot of it fell an ice cream stick. Plastered on the sides was the word WINNER. Axel chuckled slightly. That was so Roxas. A chime sounded in Axel's room and he looked at the clock. The new day had begun. And at the same time a loud noise came from the entrance to the castle.

-KH-

In the space known as Where Nothing gathers the thirteen chairs sat silent, empty. Suddenly a black rush filled the highest chair in the room and atop it sat the silver-haired leader of the Organization. His second-in-command was quickly behind him, warping in on his own chair. The two sat in silence a moment.

"Xion is no more." Saix informed his superior and Xemnas closed his eyes, nodding slightly.

"It is probably for the best…" Xemnas admitted, though it pained him to do so. With both of the Keyblade Wielders gone, how would he ever be able to complete Kingdom Hearts? Yet there was something, something in the back of his mind that told him if he thought, he would be able to complete it soon. But that was not to be. "Get me back my Keyblade wielder. Fetch me Roxas." A clock chimed throughout the castle and a loud noise was suddenly heard.

"That may be easier done than said…" Saix said with a wicked smirk. Then he entered his black portal and disappeared. Xemnas sat there, silent in his own thought. He knew he had to think of an alternative to finishing Kingdom Hearts. If Roxas was here, he would not come quietly. And so, it came to the simplest answer. Xemnas gave a chuckle.

"Ahh, Marluxia, Vexen, it appears that your betrayals may bear more fruit than I originally realized."

-KH-

DAY 358 of Roxas' Existence

Roxas warped in to the entrance of The Castle That Never Was. He was through with this. Xemnas was going to pay. He didn't care how many Nobodies or Heartless came after him. He was through. With a deft movement of his hands he jerked his hood over his face and summoned a Keyblade in his right hand. Mere seconds later he summoned a Keyblade in his left hand and crossed the two in an X above his head. The two transformed, one of them becoming a glistening pearl and the other an obsidian black. It was time. Roxas ran forward at high speed, anger filling him. It was strange. How could he feel when he had no heart? He didn't know. But he knew what he had to do. Samurais and Dusks sprung up from their portals.

"Outta my way!" Roxas yelled, spinning around and cleaving through them quickly. A legion of them quickly formed behind their fallen brothers. "You're through!" Roxas dashed forward again, his Keyblades suddenly brimming with light. In an instant, blades of light were sent arching from his Keyblades, cutting through the foes that were foolish enough to line up in front of him. Roxas said nothing more as he ran forward. The more enemies, the better. Then he could defeat not only Xemnas but everyone who wanted to capture Kingdom Hearts. More and more Nobodies sprang from the shadows but Roxas cut through all of them. He could sense that he was making his way towards the top. He was almost there, he could taste it. He would find where Xemnas brought them for their first look at Kingdom Hearts and cut him down, nothing would stop him.

"I didn't think you'd come back here, Roxas." Came a cool voice and Roxas glared at the form of Saix, diligently guarding the final door to the Altar of Naught.

"You wanna be first?" Roxas yelled and Saix gave a mere scoff. With calm precision he summoned his claymore and Roxas held his Keyblades in front. Saix did a quick double take, surprised at what Roxas was holding in his hands. Roxas didn't wait for a reply and spun forward, flipping in the air. His Keyblades both cut a wide swath around him and Saix barely had time to hold up his weapon to block the attacks. Roxas surrounded himself with a glow of light and eight pillars surrounded him. Saix's eyes widened as Roxas let out a roar and sent all eight pillars careening into the unsuspecting organization member. Saix was knocked backwards and fell to the ground. Roxas merely turned away and continued running towards Xemnas, giving not a thought to Saix, who was groaning on the ground. When at last Roxas reached the top he saw Xemnas standing there, his back to him. "Xemnas! Set Kingdom Hearts free!"

"And why would I ever do that?" Xemnas said with a slight chuckle before he heard the sound of a Keyblade being placed at his neck.

"Because if you don't I'll do it anyway." Roxas said vehemently.

"You are certainly quite confident of your strength Number XIII." Xemnas said. "A question then, if you wish to free Kingdom hearts, what could I give you in exchange that you won't?"

"I want Xion back! I want my life back!" Roxas yelled and Xemnas raised his eyebrows.

"I know nothing of any Xion." Xemnas said with a snicker.

"Shut up!" Roxas raised his Keyblade to take a swipe at Xemnas when his red Ethereal Blades suddenly sprang forth and blocked the attack. With a sudden kick, Roxas was found on the floor of the Altar of Naught, trying to suck in air.

"I believe your resignation is accepted now, Roxas." With a snap of his fingers, the robe covering Roxas was dissolved and Roxas was left in only the clothes Xemnas had found him in. "You understand, of course. We no longer need you. The Replica Project and other endeavors at Castle Oblivion have provided quite a wealth of hearts that I had not realized. In a small amount of time, Kingdom Hearts will be complete. I could not have done it without your abandonment for I would not have forced myself to think of other alternatives." Roxas gasped as Heartless suddenly began appearing around him, now that he was no longer under the Organization's protection.

"I'll be back!" Roxas snapped before he wrapped himself in a dark portal and disappeared. Xemnas chuckled as the Heartless slunk away into darkness. Footsteps were heard behind him as Saix trudged up the steps.

"How has Roxas grown so strong?" Saix breathed. "Xemnas, should I send Axel to gather him?"

"There is no need. Kingdom Hearts will soon be complete, do not fear. Roxas is no threat. He must realize by now that to go against the might of the Organization would be futile." Xemnas stretched his arms out lovingly towards Kingdom Hearts. "Soon, my friends, soon."

**

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Author's Note: So, this is a slightly AU story about bleak triumph over evil. I think you'll understand it soon enough. This is a "what if", as in "What if Roxas hadn't gone through the city and went straight to the castle?" Well, Roxas would have been defeated but gotten away and Xemnas will now complete Kingdom Hearts. I hope a number of you will read and enjoy this story. There will be some BBS spoilers but hey, it's mostly Days and KHII spoilers. Read and REVIEW and Dare to Be Silly.**


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